


Solitude, Not Loneliness

by NervousOtaku



Series: Silence And Solitude And Hector [1]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Creative License, DnD magicks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Season/Series 02, Random Updates, Save Hector, Short Chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-10-20 06:33:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17617334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousOtaku/pseuds/NervousOtaku
Summary: Silence And Solitude, a tiefling magician, comes across a band of soldiers led by a noblewoman after being banished from her world by a madman. This band of soldiers happens to be composed of vampires, and have a broken 'puppy' on a cruel leash.my best friend made me do itif you didn't see in the tags, chapters will be short and updates random at best





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Silence And Solitude is a D&D character of mine. She's a tiefling and a magician. Upon leaving the group I was playing her with halfway through an adventure, the DM declared that the Big Boss at the time used his own magic to banish her to an alternate reality.
> 
> My best friend loves Hector and when I commented that Silence could beat up Carmilla she begged me to rescue Hector.

Hector kept his head down.

He’d lost track of how long they’d been traveling. Hadn’t really been keeping track to start, honestly.

It was all gone. And a large part of it was his fault.

The chain around his throat yanked again, and he stumbled.

He was getting good at catching himself. He didn’t fall as often.

It was distressing.

Tears welled up in his eyes once more, and Hector willed himself not to cry. He couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Carmilla took too much delight in it. He didn’t want to cave in any further. Didn’t want to give her that.

He almost didn’t notice when the horses around him stopped. He didn’t know why they’d stopped, it was hours until daybreak. Confused, he lifted his head.

Someone was coming towards them down the road.

Should he cry out? Warn them away?

But as the traveler came closer, Hector found he could see why Carmilla had stopped them.

That wasn’t human. There was no way it could be.

The creature may have been human once upon a time. It had a basic human shape. Tall and lithe, female. He thought. It was hard to tell with non-humans, sometimes. But that looked decidedly female. However, it-- her?-- skin was red. Her eyes were pure gold. No iris or pupil that he could see. Her sharp features gave her an exotic look. Her ears had small, faint points. Her lips were black, the very end of sharp fangs peeking out over her bottom one. Her hair was pulled back, long and dark, into a high and tight ponytail, with braids pressed against her skull. It looked like she had hooves, and her hands looked… somehow they looked too big. A long, thick tail swiped back and forth behind her. Starting at her temples and arching up, back, and down, were large horns, black and ridged. She wore plain clothes, much like those of a working woman, but with small things here and there that reminded him of gypsies and Speakers and other nomads.

The creature seemed intent on ignoring them, stepping to the side of the road and continuing past them. She definitely had hooves, he could hear them clopping against the dirt.

“And just where do you think you’re going, dear?” Carmilla asked sweetly.

“Does it matter?” came the cold, blunt response. Hector blinked in surprise at how… silky her voice was. He had admittedly been expecting something rougher.

“I wouldn’t go that way. The humans in the town will stone you to death.” Carmilla purred.

“So what’s new? Good evening.”

“Wait.”

A deep, heavy sigh, annoyed more than anything, followed Carmilla’s order. Hector watched silently as the strange creature returned. Coming to a stop alongside Carmilla’s horse, the creature cocked a hip and folded her arms, saying, “Yes, milady, how may I serve you tonight?” in a snide tone.

“Where did you come from? Did a magician summon you?”

A snort. “Banished me, more like. As to where I’m from, I believe that is for me to know and you to find out.”

She had seven fingers, Hector noticed absently as her tail started to flick like an impatient cat’s. He tuned out the conversation, looking the stranger over.

She wore a few rings on her right hand. Nothing too big, nothing too flashy. Gold bands. One had a small rose made of gemstones set into it. Two of them were connected by a thin, delicate chain. The fourth looked like it had writing of some kind inscribed in the gold, with inlays of crushed jewels flanking the writing. She wore a simple earring, too, he noted. A plain thing, a black pearl of some kind. Just one, on her right ear. And her nomadic touches… a colorful scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. A belt of coins around her waist, the clinking muffled by the leather of her corset. Beads strung into her bangs as they framed her face.

She had three daggers, he realized. Tucked into her corset. Plain things. He couldn’t tell much about them, not really one for knives, but he could recognize them as such.

“And what, pray tell, do I stand to gain from traveling with you?”

That question tuned him back into the conversation. Was Carmilla trying to sweet-talk this… devil?

“Well, dear, we won’t be trying to stone you. We can take care of you and help you figure out how to get home.” the vampire purred, batting her eyelashes. Hector felt sick at the display.

“... Ah-hah. And what else? I imagine if I looked hard enough I’d find at least five others who could provide similar.” the devil said flatly.

“Dear,” Carmilla crooned silkily, leaning down, closer to the devil, “I said we could take care of you. Whatever you wish.”

The devil raised an eyebrow. Hector got the feeling she had caught onto Carmilla’s game, but wasn’t buying it. “You drive a hard bargain, how could I possibly refuse.”

The sarcasm was… refreshing. It reminded him of Isaac, of Godbrand. He hadn’t been friends with either of them but… anything was better than Carmilla and her poisonous honeyed words at this point.

Carmilla sat up again. She was smiling. Hector regretted tuning out of the conversation. He felt he had missed something very important.

“It’s your choice, darling.”

With that, Carmilla urged her horse onward, yanking on the chain. Hector was taken unaware, and pitched forward.

But instead of hitting the dirt, he found himself caught.

“What is this?”

The devil. She sounded… angry. For some reason.

“Hector. My puppy.” Carmilla answered, sounding amused.

“... Ah-hah.”

The devil stood him up. Her pure gold eyes stared at him, making him want to shrink in his skin.

“... He’s in no condition to walk. I wouldn’t be surprised if those boots are swamped with blood.” the devil said sharply, turning her head to glare at Carmilla.

“Is that so?” Carmilla smirked.

The devil growled, making him flinch.

But before anything could be said or done, he found himself scooped up, cradled in the devil’s arms like a mother holding a babe.

“Lead on then, milady.” the devil sneered, tipping her chin back in a prideful, defiant manner.

Carmilla laughed. “A dog-person, then?”

The devil answered, short and sharp, “Only in stew.”

Hector wanted to puke.


	2. Chapter 2

Daybreak was approaching. Carmilla was directing her soldiers to set up camp. The devil stood close to Carmilla, still holding Hector in her arms. He got the feeling it was to give him slack on the chain, and some small part of him was grateful.

The devil was warm. It had been something he’d noticed not long after being picked up. Maybe it was just contrast to Carmilla’s icy touch, but the devil’s skin was hot, and when her breath happened to ghost over his nose or ear when she readjusted him, it felt like it was searing his skin off.

“Oi.” the devil said sharply, drawing him out of his reverie. “If you’re hunkering down for the day, I’m going to tend to your ‘puppy.’”

Carmilla turned at the words, smirking. “Oh, are you, my dear?”

“I’m not your dear. My name is Silence And Solitude. You will address me as Silence or not at all. And yes. If he’s in this bad of condition, he’s running the risk of infection, and that runs risk of death.”

That seemed to catch the vampire’s attention. She had mentioned not wanting him dead. And he couldn’t exactly give her the army she wanted from him if he was sick from infected injuries.

“My tent is there.” Carmilla said, leading the way.

Hector swallowed nervously.

“Shh.” the devil chided, making him flinch.

Carmilla brought the devil into her tent, tying the chain off on one of the posts holding the structure up, as always. “Do try to behave with him. I’ll be back shortly.”

That didn’t make him feel any better.

The devil waited for Carmilla to leave before slowly and carefully setting him down on his feet. “Stand. For just a minute.” she ordered.

He did so, keeping his head down. But that didn’t keep him from seeing the devil pull a pack from… had she always been wearing that on her back? He hadn’t noticed. From within, she pulled out a bedroll, and set it on the ground next to the structural pole.

“Sit.”

He hurried to do so, wincing a little at the pain in his feet and legs.

The devil knelt before him as he came to rest on the bedroll. “Okay. I’m going to take your boots off in just a minute. If I’m right, it’ll probably hurt like a bitch and a half. So I’m going to ask you to hold this in your mouth while I do it.”

Blinking, Hector realized she was holding out a length of rope. It had been folded over on itself a few times, tied in a knot in the middle. He could see teeth-marks littering the knot. How many times had she offered that to people? Was she a doctor, like Dracula’s wife had been?

Hesitantly, he put it in his mouth. The rope was soft. It didn’t bite into his lips or gums, like most ropes would have.

The devil nodded approvingly, and pulled a waterskin from the pack. She gently took ahold of one of his legs, pulling his foot closer to herself. Opening the skin, she carefully trickled some of the contents over his leg, coaxing it down into his boot. A sweet smell reached him, and he realized it was wine.

“I know it’s not boiled water,” the devil said shortly, “But it’ll help wash out any dirt in there already. Once I get your feet out of there, I have an actual salve we can put on them.”

He didn’t say anything.

The devil seemed to take this as a sign to continue, setting the wineskin down to start easing his boot off.

She was right. It hurt. It felt like the leather of the boot had started to merge with his skin, and her peeling it off was taking his muscles with it. Tears sprang to his eyes and he gripped the bedroll tightly. A whimper slid out past the rope in his mouth, and the devil grimaced.

“I know. I know. Just hold on.”

After a minute, the first boot was off. Carmilla had returned by this point, watching with a smirk as the devil poured wine over his other foot and eased the boot off.

“Okay. That’s the worst of it done. If you want to drop the rope, you can.” the devil instructed him, using her skirt of all things to pat his feet dry. “And you, stop lurking.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. You see, the sun is up now.” Carmilla answered, sauntering closer.

“I didn’t say leave. I said stop lurking. If you’re going to watch, then help. Otherwise lie your ass down and go to sleep or whatever.”

Hector could say with a fair amount of certainty that he’d only ever heard Godbrand speak like that to Carmilla. And Carmilla seemed to be of the same opinion, eyes narrowing even as she moved away.

“Thank you. Now, keep your feet on my lap. Don’t let them touch the ground, not when I just cleaned them off.”

He bit his lip, watching as the devil carefully and gently daubed a salve from a clay jar on his battered feet. Her touch was always light and barely there, a sort of gentleness he wasn’t wholly familiar with. She wrapped his feet in bandages and picked him up once more.

“Now, we’re not putting those boots back on you. Not for a long while. And you’re not doing any walking for the next day if I can help it.” the devil said sternly. Carmilla chuckled from where she’d chosen to elegantly sprawl. “Could you shut it and let me focus, milady? Please and thank you?”

Carmilla glared again.

Hector was starting to worry for this devil’s safety as she unrolled the bedroll and carefully arranged him on it.

“Turn your face this way, now. Lemme see the damage.”

… They weren’t done?

The devil seemed too impatient to wait for him to follow her orders, turning his head so she could look at him. Once again, golden eyes bored into him, and he couldn’t stop the flinch this time.

“Do I want to know what happened or is it safest to go with Ye Olde Fell Down The Stairs Story?” the devil asked, looking up at Carmilla. Hector heard a chuckle. “Fell down the stairs, then. I see how it is.”

Her head turned, and when she came back, Hector realized one of her hands was moving towards his face.

He reacted on instinct, swatting her away and covering his face with a pathetic cry.

“Yeah. Right. Fell down the stairs.”

A hot hand rested on his stomach, prompting him to peer at the devil from behind his arms.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to treat those cuts and bruises. Maybe balm your lips. See?”

She held up the hand that had been moving towards his face. He could vaguely see that two of her fingers were smeared with the same stuff she’d put on his feet.

Slowly, slowly, he lowered his hands. There was nothing he could do about the tears in his eyes, though. He wasn’t able to watch as her hand came closer, closing his eyes and trying to control his breathing.

Fingers brushed against his palm, and he couldn’t stop himself from gripping them tightly. He could feel claws, and vaguely noted that there were too many fingers.

He didn’t care.

He really, truly, didn’t care.


	3. Chapter 3

When Hector woke up, he realized first that he was… absurdly warm. Warmer than he had been in… days. Possibly weeks.

Slowly, his eyes opened.

He was on his back in Carmilla’s tent. The chain attached to his collar was still tied to the support. But instead of curled up on the dirt, like he had been, he was laid out on a pallet. A blanket over him.

An arm over his chest, a leg nudging carefully over his own.

No. Not a leg. Legs didn’t curl like that.

The devil was asleep next to him, breathing deep and evenly. She was on her stomach, head cushioned on one arm while the other was draped over him. Her hair was taken down from the style yesterday, braids and ponytail gone, beads taken out.

… She was naked, he realized.

She was naked, asleep, next to him. And now that he thought about it, he didn’t exactly feel anything between them.

Panic began to set in, and he sat up sharply. An unhappy grunt sounded, and the mass over his leg squirmed to the side. The devil’s tail, he realized.

The devil suddenly rolled to the side, and Hector found golden eyes sliding open to glare at him.

“You,” she said, voice rough with sleep but still surprisingly silky, “Should be resting. Lie the fuck down and go back to sleep.”

“I… You’re… What did you do…?” he managed to choke out, eyes wide with panic.

“Oh, jeez… Absolutely nothing. Don’t worry, your purity is still intact. You were too cold and warming up is faster through skin-to-skin. Get back down here and sleep.” the devil ordered, reaching up to grab his shoulder and pull him down. As she did, she rolled back onto her belly, and her tail pulled the blanket up once more.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply…” Hector babbled, stumbling over his words as the devil got comfortable next to him.

“Imply that I’m a demon that would jump you in the night and rape you so I can bear hellspawn of my own? Don’t worry. I’ve been accused of worse.” she said, voice dry and plain.

“... I’m sorry… it’s just… Carmilla…”

“‘S’at her name? Don’t worry, ‘puppy,’ I get it. I’ve seen people fall down stairs before.”

The disdain in her voice implied that she knew exactly what was going on. That she wasn’t a supporter of it.

“... Hector.” he murmured, unable to keep his gaze from moving to her horns. They were truly massive. No wonder she slept on her belly. Had they always been so large, or did they grow to that size?

“... Silence. Now sleep.”

He couldn’t, though. He was awake now.

“... I’m sorry… but… is that truly your name? Silence And Solitude?”

The devil huffed. She rolled onto her side again, eyes cracking open to look at him. “When I was born, my mother named me Rena. But I disliked that name, so when she died I changed it. I made it into something I desired.”

“Silence And Solitude…” Hector murmured.

“People are noisy. They panic over the smallest things and hate anything even remotely different from themselves. It’s easiest to live on your own, in the quiet of a secluded home where the only one to make noise it you.” she said, hand moving from his shoulder to brush his hair from his face. He wasn’t able to hold back his flinch yet again. “I’m not a monster. I won’t hurt you.”

“... Not a monster… then what are you?”

“Ask a lot of questions, don’t you, ‘puppy.’” Silence grumbled. Her tail found it’s way across his waist, making him grunt in surprise and grab onto it. “Careful. Pinch me and I’ll not let you have any more blanket.”

“Sorry… I just… I’ve never seen anything like you before. It’s…”

Silence regarded him from half-closed eyes for a moment. “... Much more talkative when your ‘mistress’ isn’t around, huh.”

That made him blink in surprise, lifting his head to search for Carmilla. He found her sound asleep not too far from them. Motionless.

“... I… I’m sorry… I--”

Silence cut him off, saying, “I’m a tiefling. My mother and father cut a deal with a demon-- a baby for their souls. They didn’t specify that they wanted a normal human baby. But that’s what happens when you make deals with infernals. Either your kid turns out to be a tiefling, or you get changed into a tiefling.”

“... Didn’t they hate you?”

“No. They sold their souls to get me. They loved me very much. But others… not so much.”

Before Hector could get another question out, Silence asked one. “And your story? Vampires usually kill their food, not drag it around on a leash.”

So she did know something of what was going on.

Swallowing, Hector spoke softly. He looked away from Silence as he did so, telling her, “I’m a forgemaster… a human with a special kind of magic. Carmilla…”

“Wants your skills for herself. I know that story too.”

Silence huffed, surprising him by pulling him closer as she rolled back onto her stomach once more. “Sleep, puppy. I dunno how much longer there is before sunset and you need all the rest you can get.”

That seemed to be all it took for her to go back to sleep, leaving Hector with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to fight tooth and nail to get this goat, the goat is going in the story.

“He is not walking.”

Hector swallowed nervously, keeping his head down.

“Then what do you propose, Silence?” Carmilla drawled, playing with the chain just enough to make him wish Silence was standing closer to the horse.

“He’s in no condition to walk, and I’m not letting him stand and put weight on his feet for at least three days. He’s lucky his feet aren’t permanently messed up thanks to your lack of treatment.” the tiefling said sharply, eyes narrowed.

“Mm, that may be true, but we hardly have enough horses as it is.”

The low rumble in Silence’s chest behind him told Hector what she thought of that.

After a moment, she knelt, putting him down on the ground and slinging her pack down and off her back. From within, she pulled out an apple. Standing up, she held it in her ring-adorned hand, murmuring quietly with her eyes closed.

Something in the air shifted, making Hector shiver. He could see and hear Carmilla’s troops shifting as well, some of the horses stamping their hooves in discontent.

The gemstone rose of the one ring and the runes of the other flashed, and a wave of heat seemed to radiate outwards from Silence before sweeping around and condensing into a ball of shimmering flame.

“I command thee,” Silence suddenly declared, eyes snapping open, “Come!”

The ball of flame exploded, and an animal of some kind screamed it’s presence as Hector hid his face from the heat.

Once the temperature in the area had returned to normal, he lowered his arm to see what Silence had… had summoned.

It was a goat.

It was huge, powerful and black, covered in wool that hung in sheeplike-dreads. It’s horns matched Silence’s. It had flames licking at it’s hooves, a dark, hellish red. It’s ribs were exposed, as was part of it’s skull, revealing what looked like more fire contained within. It’s eyes were dark, but had a reddish glint.

“What on…” Carmilla hissed as Silence beckoned the thing closer with the apple.

“This is  _ Amon’s Rebellion. _ My familiar.” Silence answered shortly as the monstrous goat licked the apple out of her hand with a long black tongue. The tiefling stooped down, scooping Hector up again. “And he makes for a very good mount.”

Before Hector could object, he found himself tossed up onto the goat. It gave a grunt at the addition of his weight, turning it’s head slightly to look at him and Silence. Hector had to lean forward to avoid being clipped with the massive horns, and found himself eye-to-eye with the beast.

After a moment of hesitation, he stroked a hand down it’s neck, running his fingers through the wool. It was soft, but at the same time gritty.

The long black tongue swiped over the side of his face, making him jolt in surprise.

“Well, I’m glad to know that salve is still tasty, you big lug. Let him alone, will ya?” Silence grumbled as she hopped up on the goat behind him. To Hector’s surprise, rather than produce a set of reins from her pack, she just grabbed onto the massive horns and turned the goat’s head. “There. Now he isn’t walking.”

Hector’s eyes flicked to Carmilla.

The vampire was watching with narrowed eyes. He couldn’t tell if her expression was disapproving or calculating, and it terrified him.

Without a word, Carmilla started moving. Silence clicked her tongue and ordered, “Follow,” and  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ started after the horse, keeping pace easily.

Hector expected riding bareback on a goat to be… well, not as easy as it was. It wasn’t going to leave him any less sore, but he expected more falling and less good behavior. Perhaps Silence had something to do with it, grabbing onto the great thing’s horns and putting it back on track if it looked like it was getting distracted. Maybe it had to do with how the wool made for excellent hand-holds. But whatever it was, it was much easier than he would have expected.

“He’s amazing.” he blurted out without thinking after examining and admiring the goat for a while. Carmilla’s eyes flitted over to them, and he buried his face in  _ Rebellion’s _ wool.

“He’s nothing too special. Hellish familiars rarely are. Sure, they look different from aether-summoned familiars, but the truly impressive and intimidating ones are the divinely sent.  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ was just the one that answered my call when I first cast the spell.” Silence commented. But after a moment, she said, voice softer, “We appreciate the sentiment, though.”

“... We?” Hector echoed, looking back at her.

“Familiars tend to reflect on their summoner. I didn’t intend to get a hellish one. I would have been content with an aether-summoned ewe, in all honesty. Even a pesky quasit.”

He was quiet, examining her as subtly as he could.

Based on how one of her hands came down on his head to turn his face back into the black wool, it wasn’t very subtle.

“It’s rude to stare, ‘puppy.’ Rest. It’ll do your body good.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Your feet are looking a lot better already. I’m still gonna ask you to stay off them for a while, though.” Silence informed him, rebandaging his foot as she spoke.

“... Are you leaving…?” Hector asked softly, feeling his chest grow tight. He knew it was selfish, but the tiefling’s presence over the past two days had been a shield and buffer against Carmilla. His bruises were fading and he felt less sore. The vampire touched him less, pulled the chain less, abused him less.

His question earned a scoff, Silence shaking her head. “Do I look like I’m that cruel?”

“... Well…”

“Don’t answer that.”

“... Thank you…” he whispered.

Silence hesitated, just for a split second, before asking in her usually blunt manner, “For what?”

“For… everything. I…”

She stopped winding the bandages, rising up onto her knees and placing her hands on his shoulders. “I already told you. I’m not a monster. I’m hardly going to leave someone defenseless alone with one.”

He didn’t know how to respond, and she seemed to take his silence as some sort of answer. Her hands slid away from his shoulders, and she fell back onto her heels, checking the bandages again.

“I don’t think putting your boots on is a good idea, but if you really wanted to you probably could at this point.”

The tent opened up, Carmilla coming in.

“Perfect timing. Can you take the collar off for a moment? It looks like it’s starting to chafe and I might as well treat that while I’m at it.” Silence commented, looking up at Carmilla.

“Mm. No, I don’t think so.”

Of course, he couldn’t expect Silence’s protection to last forever. Her… admittedly abrasive personality would only be tolerated for so long. Whatever Carmilla thought she stood to gain by having Silence around, Hector hoped it was enough to keep Silence free. At least she could run, if need be.

“... I’ll ask again when it gets worse. As it is now, it won’t be dangerous or threatening to him.” Silence said, smearing her fingers with the salve and gesturing for him to tip his head. Her fingertips just barely fit under the metal of the collar, rubbing and dragging over his skin. Hector couldn’t deny that he winced a little as she did so, the salve stinging a bit. He hadn’t noticed that it was doing so much damage…

“By the way, Silence, dear, I wonder if I could ask a favor of you.” Carmilla purred.

“... Ah-hah.”

“There’s a village nearby. I was wondering, dear, if I could convince you to go take a look at it.”

Hector felt his stomach drop.

Carmilla was planning to raze the village.

Silence stood, looking at Carmilla, not him. “And I get what, exactly, out of sacrificing time out of my sleep to do this for you?”

“Nothing now… but when we get to Styria, I can reward you handsomely.”

Hector found himself pleading in his mind. Begging Silence not to do it, to spare the village Carmilla’s wrath, to stay with him and keep him safe. But if she refused, what would happen?

“... And you ask this of me, knowing how I look? Knowing I would be stoned the second my hooves touched the boundary of the village?”

“I didn’t ask you to mingle, dear. Just take a look at it.” Carmilla smirked.

“...  _ Visae decept. _ ”

The air shimmered, and Silence… changed.

Her skin wasn’t red anymore. It was tanned, human. Her ears lacked their points. Her lips were a dark rose. Her eyes were human, amber honey. Her horns were gone, her hooves replaced with boots, and her hands human.

“I’ll look. I promise nothing else to you, just that I’ll look at it.” Silence said, voice sharp as she moved to the tent-flap.

“Silence--!” Hector started to cry, but cut himself off as Carmilla moved closer.

“There now… we haven’t had much time to ourselves since we met dear Silence, have we, puppy?” she grinned, hand reaching out to tangle in the chain.

“... please…” he breathed, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

“After all…” the vampire crooned as she leaned in close. “... I need to make sure all that training didn’t go to waste thanks to her spoiling you.”


	6. Chapter 6

The tent-flap was torn open. Carmilla hissed, retreating into the darkest corner as her hand burned in the light.

“Very. Cute.”

It was Silence.

She looked like herself again… but…

There was blood on her cheek. Her hair was messed up, her clothes torn. In her hand was a blood-smeared dagger.

“What happened?” Carmilla frowned as Silence dropped the tent-flap and stormed over to her pack.

“Like you don’t know?!” Silence barked, baring her fangs at Carmilla. Hector felt himself flinch a little at the display. “They knew I was coming! What, did you see a hunter in the trees or something?! Think it would be funny to send me to a mob?!”

“You were attacked?” Hector breathed, eyes wide.

“They were waiting for me! Very cute and clever, Carmilla! I loved it! Loved! It!” Silence seethed, yanking a rag out of her pack that she smeared over the bloodied dagger. Her tail was lashing too and fro, and if she had fur Hector had no doubt it would all be on end. “Try anything like that again and I’ll kill you!”

Carmilla stepped closer, frown still in place. “I didn’t know. What happened?”

Silence hissed, a feral noise, as she shoved her dagger back in place under her corset.

“I’m trying to help.” Carmilla hissed back.

Hector swallowed nervously, eyes flicking between the two.

“I went to the village, like you asked. When I get there, a man’s ranting to an assembly about an approaching army. Sees me and yells that their scouts have arrived. Whole. Fucking. Village. Turned on me. My focus was disturbed when someone grabbed my hand, and the thaumaturgy fell. Everything. Went. To shit.” Silence ground out, opening up the jar of salve and haphazardly smearing way too much directly on the bleeding cut on her face.

“... So they’re expecting us, then.” Carmilla said, scowling a little.

“Yeah, no shit. If they don’t have a militia up, then they’re already booking it. Whatever you had in mind for that place, forget it.”

Silence’s gaze landed on him now, making him flinch.

“Really? I leave for two minutes and you shove him down another flight of stairs? Fucking freak.” the tiefling snapped, stomping over with the salve-jar in hand. Hector knew that it wasn’t him she was angry at, but still couldn’t help his flinch, recoiling away from her.

He supposed he really couldn’t blame her anger, even if it was currently misdirected. Carmilla had asked her to go scout the village, and sent her straight to a mob. It truly must’ve looked like a setup to Silence. And given some of the things she’d said to him, Hector got the feeling she lost little love on people in general.

“... We’ll have to be careful moving forward, then. I appreciate your warning, Silence.” Carmilla said, scowling a little bit as she moved back to her bedroll.

“Damn straight you do. Gonna hafta be one hell of a reward.” the tiefling growled, done with the salve and shoving it back in her pack.


	7. Chapter 7

The town was empty. Completely deserted.

“... Looks like they left after you did.” Carmilla commented, looking around.

“Told ya.” Silence scoffed from behind Hector.

“... I don’t see anything from this mob, though.”

Carmilla was right. Hector looked around as they moved through the town. Silence had said there was a mob. But everything looked… neat. Tidy. In his experience, mobs left wreckage in their wakes.

“They didn’t exactly have time to grab their torches and pitchforks. They were at a town meeting in the square with the guy who saw us. I fought them off and ran. What more do you want? Fire? Brimstone? A row of neatly dressed and gutted corpses?” Silence sneered.

_ Amon’s Rebellion _ let out a raspy bleat as if in agreement.

“... I suppose you have a point.” Carmilla said, though Hector could hear the suspicion in her voice.

To be honest, he didn’t believe Silence either. It was too convenient. Yes, she had shown up bloodied and foul-tempered from apparently being mobbed. But there was no evidence of any of this anywhere.

Hector dug his fingers into  _ Rebellion’s _ wool.

Silence was up to something. And Carmilla wouldn’t like that.

“Can we move on, now, or are we going to dally around here all night? I thought we were going somewhere?” Silence snapped, reaching out and yanking on the chain between him and Carmilla. Hector gasped in surprise as Carmilla’s hand was pulled out, and ducked his head as she recovered.

“Careful, Silence. My patience is not infinite.” the vampire warned, voice dark.

“And neither is mine.”

Hector shivered.

Later, many miles away, when the sun had risen and all of them were tucked away in the blacked-out tents, Hector rolled over to look at Silence. She seemed to sense his movement, turning from her belly to her side, golden eyes cracked open.

“... What really happened?” he breathed.

“Hm?”

“Were the villagers truly expecting Carmilla? Or did you do something?”

Silence was silent for a while, regarding him through half-opened eyes. Her tail slid over his waist, and he reflexively grabbed for it. “I don’t have a single clue as to what you’re implying, ‘puppy.’ I’m just one tiefling.”

“But you’re a magician. And… a strong one. I think.” Hector pushed. He wanted to know. Had to.

“Mm. Mediocre at best. Shoddy at worst.” she shrugged, eyes sliding closed.

“Silence,” he said, voice rising just a hair, “Please tell me what you did.”

“I promised Carmilla I would look around, so I looked around. I promised her nothing more than that.”

… was she…

Did Silence create a loophole for herself? Was that what she was saying?

It looked… sounded like she was fast asleep now. He couldn’t exactly ask any more questions.

He hoped she would be careful, though. Carmilla truly wasn’t a patient creature. If she deemed Silence in the way or inconvenient, he trembled to think of what would happen. She was a magician, and no matter what she said, she looked strong, but Carmilla had an army. Silence was just one tiefling, as she herself had said.

Worst come worst… he hoped she would be able to get away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dare you to find the fragments of a song-lyric I snuck in this one.

“What are you doing?” Hector asked, watching as Silence pushed her fingers through the grass.

“Looking for four-leafed clovers.”

He… honestly didn’t know how to respond to that.

Despite being vampires, Carmilla’s army was not restless. Their horses weren’t either. Here and there, they had to stop and rest. Not as often as a human army would have to, but they still had to stop now and then. Once every other night, around midnight. Foot-soldiers sat and rested. Riders tethered and tended to their horses, then stretched their legs. Carmilla would do a round of the troops.

Silence had jumped off  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ as soon as the vampire had started the round, this time, trotting over to a tree and kneeling under it.

“... Why?” Hector finally managed to ask.

“Do you not have four-leafed clovers in this world?” Silence shot back.

“We do… but the idea that they’re good luck is… childish. No one really believes it, not anyone in their right mind.” he replied, stroking through the black wool under his hands. If he wanted to dismount, he imagined he could. But then he’d have to get back on, and he was so tired he didn’t know if he’d be able to manage. Not to mention that Silence would then baby him, scolding him about putting weight on his feet while they were still healing. While he appreciated her protection, he was an adult.

“Is it really so outlandish to believe in such things when you’re riding alongside a vampire, have a tiefling at your back, and your mount happens to be literally summoned from the bowels of hell?”

Hector opened his mouth to reply, but then hesitated.

Silence continued on, not looking up at him, “I don’t know how things work in this world yet. The same policies and principles I grew up under may not hold any water here. But whether or not there are fae in this world who are stupidly attracted to little anomalies of nature, there are still spells my focus can’t perform for me.”

“... Your… focus?”

She had mentioned her focus before, Hector recalled. When she described being attacked by the village-mob. But he was starting to get the sense that she was using it in a different way than he was familiar with.

Pausing, Silence held up her right hand, displaying the rings there. “These. My focus is this set of rings. Most magicians require ingredients to perform magic. Eye of newt, cinnamon, seapony tears, chunks of cheese, things like that. Anything and everything from lumps of dirt to fist-sized diamonds. However, if you have a focus, an item you can direct your magic through, then you need no ingredients. But my focus isn’t, say, an enchanted thousand-year-old monkey’s paw. Certain spells will still need things, so it’s best to always have them on hand just in case.”

“... Ah. I think I… may understand.” Hector murmured. “I can’t speak for… other magicians, but forgemasters like myself… we require an object to work through. It’s what makes us forgemasters.”

“Hm.”

Silence paused again, sitting back and examining him. “I don’t know if that’s the same thing. Forgemastery sounds like it’s somewhere between being… possibly a warlock or a cleric and a magician. Or something else altogether. What would you say you exert to perform your skills?” she asked.

“What I… exert?” Hector asked, hands halting their moving through  _ Rebellion’s _ wool.

“Yes. For example, I-- and other magicians from my world-- perform magic based on knowledge. We can read a spell, comprehend it, and then perform it. The stronger and smarter ones are even able to rewrite spells and perform them. The magic of magicians is based on knowledge. Bards, on the other hand… that’s something else entirely. Bards are knowledge-driven, like magicians, but for completely different reasons. Magicians tend to hoard knowledge. Bards share and spread it. Some of my strongest spells I learned from listening to and watching bards. For them, magic is something social. Their skills are… less refined, but flow more easily.” Silence explained, golden gaze riveted on the grass and clover-patch.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking.

What he exerted when working his forgemaster skills? He didn’t know if he had an answer to that. For the most part it was just…  willing creatures back to life.

Unable to come up with anything else, he told her so.

Silence was quiet for a while, and he couldn’t tell if she was mulling his answer over or examining the leaf she had pulled up.

“... That sounds more like a warlock than anything else. Warlocks don’t use spells, per se. They use something else. I don’t know what it’s based on in comparison to magicians, but it doesn’t sound like a cleric or a bard.” she finally said, reaching out to hold the leaf pulled up to her familiar. The enormous goat happily licked it from her palm, black tongue drawing the leaf into a skeletal mouth.

“I wonder if forgemastery would work in your world. Or is it tied to something here?” Hector mused as he watched  _ Rebellion _ make short work of the clover-leaf.

“Who knows. My magic works here, but that could be any number of-- Ah-hah!”

He blinked, momentarily taken aback as Silence held something up in a triumphant manner. “You found one?”

“I did better than that, I found two.” she said with an undeniably smug expression, showing him the leaves in her hand. There was indeed a pair of four-leafed clovers.

“... And what exactly are you going to do with them?” Hector asked as she stood, pulling something from her pack.

“Not a clue yet. But if I’ve any need for them, I have them. Along with these.”

What she had pulled out was a book, he saw. And as she opened it up to a marked page, there was a piece of paper, neatly folded in two. Silence opened up the folded paper, and Hector felt his eyes just about bulge out of his head at the number of four-leafed clovers she had pressed there. A few were starting to turn a little brown, a testament to how long she’d probably had them.

“Wha--”

“Okay, I admit, it might be something of a hobby of mine,” Silence said, a tinge of pride to her voice as she carefully added in the two new ones, “But there are magical applications of just about every plant in existence. The rarer, the more magical. And four-leafed clovers are especially useful, able to be applied in a variety of ways.”

“... That’s… impressive. I… wouldn’t think there were that many in the world…” Hector managed to say as Silence tucked the book away once more.

“Well, that’s what happens when one travels and has time on their hands. Do you need something to eat? I should have some rations still…”

“I’ll be fine…” he told her, waving the offer off and twisting to see if he couldn’t find Carmilla.

“Oh no you don’t, not with your injuries. If you don’t eat you’ll never get any better.”


	9. Chapter 9

“... Silence?” Hector asked quietly. He heard Carmilla shift from where she was resting, but he couldn’t bring himself to care too much. He’d been pondering this question for a while.

“Hrn.” the tiefling responded. Half-asleep, then. He’d have to ask quick.

“Earlier, you talked about… about magic so freely. Does… does everyone do it? Where you’re from?”

Carmilla shifted again, and he refused to look at her. She was interested in this conversation too.

Silence groaned, pushing herself up enough that she could roll onto her side and look at him. “You’re too talkative when you’re supposed to be sleeping, y’know that?” she groused, propping her head up on her hand. He could hear the clunk and scrape of her horns hitting the dirt. Before he could respond to her question, though, she continued, “Not everyone. Depending on where you’re from, there might be more or fewer. Place I came from was a day’s ride from a small magic school, but there weren’t many students. Everyone preferred the big universities in the capital. I couldn’t get in any of those due to being poor as shit and a tiefling, so I settled with the small school. I worked, and in exchange was given lessons separate from the humans and elves.”

“... Elves?”

That was Carmilla. She must’ve been more interested in the conversation than he thought.

“Mm-hmm. Humans aren’t the only race in the world. They’re just the most… common, expansive, eager-to-breed, take your pick of terms. There’s elves, there’s orcs, there’s dwarves, gnomes, halflings, dragonborn, kobolds, fae, merfolk, intelligent animals, angels, demons, the list goes on a bit more but I don’t feel like reciting it. And magic is an end to a need, more often than not. Power, fame, money, women, revenge… people take up magic for any number of reasons.”

Hector blinked, asking, “Why did you take it up, then?”

“Because it gave me a set of work-skills. Nobody wants a tiefling around, nobody hires them or teaches them anything. And where I came from, there were no other tieflings. Tieflings tend to stick to cities and slums, and I came from a modest farming community. If I wanted to survive in the world, I needed something that would make me hireable. So I became a magician. I worked for cheap, made enough of a name for myself that people became willing to hire me for only a few gold pieces and no qualms, started saving up.”

It looked like she was drifting off as she spoke, eyes sliding further and further closed. He wondered if that was why her tongue was so loose right now. She would answer questions, sure, but she was usually blunt and to the point. Never gave more than what she was asked for.

“Saving up for what?” he pressed, voice soft.

“Land. A plot in the forest, where no one would bother me and I could live peacefully.”

… That… it was honestly shocking to hear that was all Silence was looking for. But he supposed given what he knew of her backstory, and the explanation behind her name, it made sense. Silence and solitude was what she wanted, and the best place to get that would be in an isolated area away from people.

He opened his mouth to ask another question, but then slowly closed it once more.

She was asleep. Her breathing had slowed and steadied, and her head was bobbing ever-so-slightly in her hand.

“Well,” Carmilla purred, making him jump at her sudden proximity, “That does explain a few things about our friend, doesn’t it?”

Hector didn’t know how to respond, and opted for trying to burrow down into the bedroll.

Carmilla wasn’t deterred, stroking through his hair. “Of course, I wouldn’t go getting your hopes up… she can’t protect you, Hector. You know that, right?”

He cursed himself for trembling, squeezed his eyes shut tight and grit his teeth.

A warm, heavy weight settled over his waist. By this point, it’d become familiar enough for him to know that it was Silence’s tail. Under the blanket, one of his hands rested over the appendage, and he felt his trembling lessen just a tiny bit as Carmilla returned to her own bedroll.

She was right though. Carmilla had power and an army. Silence was just one tiefling. Magic or no, he somehow doubted that she had the strength to take down every vampire in Carmilla’s current company.


	10. Chapter 10

Hector looked up as Silence entered the tent. But rather than come sit next to him and check his wounds as she had every other day since joining them, she held the tent open with the tips of her claws and watched what was going on outside.

“... Silence?” he asked softly.

She didn’t answer, golden eyes glinting.

After a moment, she drew one of her daggers out of her corset, turning to him.

“S-Silence?!” Hector gasped, scrabbling to his feet.

She darted close, pressing a hand over his mouth, and he felt tears start to well up in his eyes as he started to claw and push.

“Shh, Hector, shh.” Silence urged in a quiet voice, easily pulling him closer and smothering his voice in her shoulder, one hand on the back of his head. He didn’t stop fighting, the feeling of betrayal making him want to puke. “I’m not gonna hurt you, Hector, shh…”

He felt a tug on the collar, and went still.

As Silence fiddled with the collar and chain, she spoke in quiet, hushed tones.

“I didn’t fight off a mob at that village last week. I warned them that Carmilla was coming.” she murmured, halting his fighting. As he tried to catch up to that new fact, Silence continued, “I went straight to their church and called for an audience with every holyman present, told them a wicked army was marching. At first, they didn’t believe me. But thaumaturgy is a handy spell. It only took a little extra magic to change my appearance to an angel, make my voice reverb and echo. A little extra still to turn invisible and throw my voice, with the illusion of standing on the church-roof, calling for the people to flee in the name of their god…”

“... but the blood…” Hector managed to push out.

“... I oversaw the evacuation… I saw him trying to make off with a child, drag her into the woods, a hand over her mouth… ‘The unpious believers are destined for eternal damnation,’ I told him…”

He could hear the sarcasm in her voice. She didn’t believe in any of what she had done except to save people from Carmilla. But it calmed him enough that he stopped fighting, trying to understand what was going on now.

Suddenly the collar pulled against his windpipe, making him scrabble against her once more, but--

The collar fell away completely.

“There.” Silence said in grim satisfaction. Before Hector could ask her what she was doing, though, she’d scooped him up, tossing his arms around her neck. “We’ve stayed here long enough.”

For a moment, hope bubbled up in his chest, and he clung to Silence.

But as she pushed out the back of the tent, she stopped, and he knew it was hopeless, burying his face in her shoulder to hide his tears.

“Really, dear, did you think you could fool me that easily?” he heard Carmilla purr.

“Not really. Counted on it being harder.” Silence bit back. How could she maintain that tone in such a situation? Hector didn’t doubt that they were surrounded. Carmilla would deem Silence not worth the trouble, kill her, and then…

“Well, dear, I’m afraid your little game is over.”

He heard the soldiers coming closer, and couldn’t help his whimper.

“... Hector, keep your head right there.” Silence ordered.

Before he could question it, lift his head anyway, one of her hands left him. He could feel her arm stretched out, towards Carmilla’s voice.

“ _ Presto. _ ”

Hector didn’t know what had happened. He could feel the heat, hear the screams, see traces of the light, blindingly bright, despite his head being down in Silence’s shoulder. Then Silence’s hand was back, and she was running, hooves drumming against the ground. He could feel her weaving and dodging, and realized she’d run them off the path, into the trees nearby. Lifting his head, Hector gasped as he saw several of Carmilla’s soldiers giving chase behind them.

“They’re gaining!” he said desperately.

“Not for long. The sun’s rising.” Silence replied, short and terse as she leapt over a rotting log.

After a moment, the soldiers chasing them slowed and stopped, looking to the sky. Silence didn’t stop running, and Hector watched them grow smaller, farther away, before they turned and fled completely.

Silence didn’t stop, though, not for a while. Hector didn’t blame her.

When she finally did, though, her breath scalding puffs of steam, Hector refused to let go of her.

He just… couldn’t believe they’d gotten away.

Silence allowed him to cling and cry quietly for a while. Her hands held him steady, even as her breath nearly burnt his ear. He could feel sweat slicking her skin, dampening her clothes. Part of him felt guilty that she’d had to work so hard.

“Come on,” Silence said once her breathing had steadied and cooled, “We can’t stop. Even though it’s daylight, we need to move. Put as much distance between us and them as possible.”

Hector allowed her to peel him away. She kept one hand on his wrist, and set off through the trees.


	11. Chapter 11

As they left the trees, Silence lifted her head to examine the sky. Hector took advantage of the pause to crouch down, breathing heavily. He understood the urgency of the situation, but they’d been moving fast all day. Without stopping. He was exhausted.

“We’ve got a few more hours before the sun goes down. We’re in the open now, so I’m going to call  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ and we’ll ride. He can move faster than most horses, but the trade-off is that he’s easier to track. Hopefully we covered our tracks well enough in the forest to compensate for that.” Silence informed him, pulling an apple out of her pack. He nodded wordlessly, and she went about summoning her familiar. The monstrous goat appeared, and Silence hoisted him up onto the broad black back. “We’ll go until midnight and take a break then.”

“... So long…?” Hector asked, twisting about to look at the tiefling as she climbed up behind him.

“It’ll be bumpy, but you can rest during the ride. I won’t let you fall. Here, eat up.” she replied, handing him a chunk of bread, a strip of jerky, and what looked like a pear, along with the waterskin.

“But… what about you?”

She gave a confident smirk. Not cold or cruel like Carmilla’s, but the sort that he saw on a child who knew something an adult didn’t. Without a word, she urged  _ Rebellion _ into a gallop, the hellish goat’s hooves sounding like thunder. Hector admitted to himself he wasn’t expecting that, and felt his breath whipped away.

A warm arm wrapped around his midriff, hand planted over his stomach in a steadying motion. The wind yanked and pulled at them, screaming thinly as they charged onward, away from the threat of Carmilla. Hector turned his head to look at Silence again. She wasn’t looking at him, her own head turned to keep watch behind them. One hand was pressed firmly against him, keeping him seated, and one hand held onto  _ Rebellion’s _ massive horn. But she was twisted, watching.

Hector swallowed nervously, looking to the rations the tiefling had pushed into his hand.

No matter how long Silence was able to go without stopping, she would need to eventually. She was giving him the time to rest now, to eat and recuperate. He imagined that when midnight came, it would be his turn.

That knowledge settled in his stomach like a stone, and he began trying to eat.

Silence had done… quite a bit for him, asking nothing in return. She’d had no reason whatsoever to stop and follow Carmilla, to tend to him. But she had.

He owed her quite a debt. And he wondered with a shiver how he was supposed to repay her. She’d given no indication of wanting anything from him, but people could be deceitful. There was always a chance she’d want something… more.

A bolt of fear shot through him, and he felt so sick he wasn’t able to keep eating.

Hector closed his eyes against the wind and prayed to whoever would accept it that such a thing wouldn’t happen.


	12. Chapter 12

    Silence stopped _Rebellion_ and slid easily off. Hector didn’t miss the wobble to her stance, though. She was tired, even if she was doing a good job of not showing it.

    “Come on. Let’s take a break.” she murmured, helping him down.

    “... I can keep watch while you rest…?” Hector offered quietly.

    After a moment, swaying slightly, Silence nodded. “I think that’s the best option. I… can go for quite a while, but if I don’t rest soon then we could be caught off-guard. Don’t let me sleep too long, we can’t let them eat up our lead.”

    Hector gulped, but nodded.

    Silence nodded back, grabbing her waterskin and taking a few gulps before offering it to him again. He shook his head timidly, and she shrugged. From her pack, she pulled out a heel of bread, and scarfed it down. _Rebellion_ came to rest on it’s belly, and Silence draped herself over it’s shoulder. It only took a moment for her breathing to steady and her tail to start twitching in the idle way it did during sleep.

    For a while, Hector just watched her. If Silence was going to turn on him at any point, then now would be the best time for him to run. The best time to leave and get away.

    _Rebellion_ looked at him with it’s dark eyes-- hellfire coals, Silence had called them-- and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Right now, she was more mobile than he was. And Carmilla moved fast. Leaving her would be… detrimental. More likely to lead to another collar, more chains, and… and he didn’t want to think of how Carmilla would punish him.

    He chose to settle down a short distance away from the tiefling and her familiar, and tried to tune himself into his surroundings. Listen for anything that shouldn’t be there. For any signs of approaching vampires.

    But it didn’t do much good. His thoughts kept turning to when Silence would turn on him, become the new Carmilla.

    Something broke a branch nearby, making him startle, eyes wide and panicked. But what stepped into view was only a deer. Hector did his best to let his breath out quietly, watching. The animal didn’t seem to notice him. Or rather, he amended as it started coming closer, it didn’t seem to care. It was more interested in _Rebellion._ The huge goat allowed it to come closer, lifting it’s own head so that they could touch noses. It was… artistic, in a macabre way. The gentle and delicate deer pressing it’s face against the hellish caprine’s skeletal face and sniffing along the fire within.

    _Rebellion’s_ tongue snaked out and licked over the deer’s face. The deer startled, stepping back a bit, but didn’t run away. It stared at the huge goat, as if in disbelief, before stepping around to sniff at Silence.

    Carefully, quietly, Hector rearranged himself so he could watch better.

    He had always been good at making himself quiet, making himself invisible, so animals didn’t mind his presence. It had just come naturally to him. Ever since he’d been small. This was no different. He wondered if the deer even realized he was there. Or if it was too fascinated by _Amon’s Rebellion_ and the passed out tiefling to care.

    Silence’s tail flopped against the deer’s legs, making it stumble, and it took off, frightened by the sudden movement from the unknown creature. Hector couldn’t help but chuckle.

    But then _Rebellion’s_ head snapped around, and it stood, shrugging off Silence. She slumped to the ground with a quiet groan, but didn’t stir.

    Feeling his mouth go dry, Hector turned, straining his senses.

    Hoofbeats.

    Lots of them.

    Carmilla and her soldiers.

    He stood shakily, and rushed to Silence’s side, shaking her. “Silence, get up, someone’s coming! We need to go!”

    She groaned again, shoulders tensing, but didn’t react otherwise.

    No no no no…

    Hector pushed at her arms and shoulders, patting her face, saying, “Silence, please, I think Carmilla’s coming, we need to go! Wake up!”

    The hoofbeats were louder. Not loud enough to sound close, but he didn’t need to push himself to hear them.

    A scratching accompanied by a long, deep growl made him look up. _Amon’s Rebellion_ was pawing at the dirt, staring in the direction of the hoofbeats. The glow of the flames in it’s skeleton and around it’s hooves was getting brighter. Like it was getting riled up.

    … Could they see _Rebellion’s_ flames? If the monstrous familiar took off, would they swerve to meet it and not notice them?

    “ _Rebellion,_ ” he gasped, pleading, “ _Rebellion,_ please…”

    To his surprise, the goat looked at him.

    “Run,” he tried, pointing randomly, “Run, go.”

    Nothing. It didn’t move.

    Of course not, Hector reflected, Silence had said that as her familiar it was bound to her.

    He wondered… wondered if…

    He cast desperately about, gaze landing on the coin-belt Silence wore. Muttering a quick apology, he managed to yank two of them from the belt. Standing, holding himself so the sparks would touch _Amon’s Rebellion_ , Hector struck them together.

    He had no clue if this would work. But Silence had apparently pushed herself too far, too hard, and was passed out cold. There was no waking her. And her familiar was responding, but not enough. It was risky, trying to combine his forgemastery with the unknowns of her magic, but he had no choice but to try. The hoofbeats were getting louder, getting closer, and maybe it was just his imagination but he thought he could hear the vampires themselves.

    Once, he struck.

    Twice.

    Thrice.

    _Rebellion_ growled, long and low.

    One more time, desperation taking over, exaggerating his movements.

    The flames turned from red to blue, exploding out of the monstrous familiar and illuminating everything. The goat threw it’s head back, eyes glinting, and roared. It reared up, pawing at the air, and Hector instinctively flinched away, arms up even though it would be useless, this thing was massive, it would crush him easily--

    The ground leapt under the massive hooves, sparks flying everywhere, as _Amon’s Rebellion_ took off, heading towards the sound of the horses.

    On the ground, Silence stirred.


	13. Chapter 13

Hector fell to his knees as  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ took off in a halo of blue fire. Silence pawed at the ground a few times, and Hector grabbed her hand instinctively.

With a snarl, she swatted him away, picking her head up--

Hector gasped in horror and awe.

Silence’s eyes burned blue, dripping black. As she peeled her lips back from her teeth in a snarl, he saw more of the black dripping down, and he realized it was blood. She bled black.

She pushed herself up to all fours, growling, and Hector scooted back fearfully. Her eyes were still burning blue, aflame with his magic, the same way  _ Rebellion’s _ fire had turned from red to blue, and that had been such a bad idea--

Silence stood, looking loose and limp like a ragdoll, towering over him for a moment. He swallowed, lifting his hands as if he could calm her. She gave another growl, black blood bubbling between her teeth and dripping down her cheeks from her eyes. Before he could react properly, she was yanking him up, pulling him over her shoulder, and running.

What?

After a moment, clinging desperately to Silence as she ran, Hector got the feeling he’d figured it out.

His magic came from his will, or so it seemed. And  _ Amon’s Rebellion _ was linked to Silence as her familiar. By imposing his will on the beast the way he had… had Hector just forced his will over Silence as well?

It would explain why her eyes were burning blue, like his forgework. It would explain why  _ Rebellion _ had taken off to deal with the threat while Silence was fleeing with him in tow.

“Silence, stop!” he yelled.

Instantly, she skidded to a stop, huffing and panting like an animal.

“P-put me down…!”

She did so, and he felt his heart sink.

“I’m sorry, Silence, I’m so sorry…” Hector gasped weakly, reaching up to cup her face in his hands. She only growled in response, blank blue eyes glaring at him as they wept black blood. “I… I didn’t mean to do this, I didn’t know… You weren’t waking up, and… I’m so sorry...”

Hoofbeats sounded, pounding closer and closer, and there was no time to do anything. Silence seemed to pick up on his fear, though, her hands yanking a pair of daggers from her corset as she turned to face the threat with her tail lashing.

The lone, single horse that was approaching bore Carmilla on it’s back.

She looked like hell. Her hair was a mess, her clothes torn and tattered, her once-perfect skin scarred over and mottled with burns. And she was so plainly pissed that Hector felt like he was already dead. With the blue fire that  _ Rebellion _ had spilled everywhere burning the land behind her, she looked far from her usual perfect self. She looked almost more like a devil than Silence did.

The tiefling screamed ferally as Carmilla came close, and to Hector’s surprise Carmilla answered. Silence launched herself forward before Hector could do anything, crashing very deliberately into Carmilla’s horse. The beast toppled, giving a weak, wet scream of it’s own, but the vampire on it’s back leapt nimbly off, and landed easily behind Silence.

Carmilla’s eyes burned into him, making him step back fearfully, before she turned to Silence.

“You…” Carmilla hissed. “Did you really think you could kill me that easily…?”

Silence didn’t answer, just growled, more blood dripping down her chin and cheeks, and Hector felt a knot form in his throat. He may not have known her that well, but he felt like he could give a fairly accurate guess as to what the tiefling would have said. But she wasn’t going to say anything, because Hector had broken her. Had reduced her to a savage beast bound to his will.

For a long, tense moment, neither woman moved, both just growling at the other.

Silence broke first, pulling into a tight, deadly spin as she darted forward. Had Carmilla been human, she would have been dead, but her hand easily caught Silence’s arm.

Hector yelled for Silence at the loud, painful crack.

But she didn’t seem to notice, didn’t seem to care. She didn’t drop her dagger, didn’t even stop to acknowledge the wound. Her other arm slashed, and the glint of her weapon hit Carmilla’s shoulder, glanced off her throat.

He found himself stepping back more as Carmilla’s claws raked down Silence’s face.

Silence’s tail struck Carmilla from the air, interrupting a graceful jump, and a strong hoof kicked the vampire in the side.

Silence’s legs went out from under her, and a fist crashed into her face.

This was bad.

Hector swallowed desperately around the lump in his throat, not sure what to do. He couldn’t fight. Didn’t have a weapon. Didn’t really know how, or have the strength to do it. But his mind was singing with how this was his fault, he had to take responsibility now.

In the distance, a loud scream rang out. Nothing human. Something feral and unearthly.

There was an explosion of blue flame, a burst of hot wind knocking Hector back. The landscape was lit up in cyan, and through the heat-induced tears, he could see a skull rising in the smoke.

“What…” Carmilla snarled, shaking her head.

A fist crashed into her face, and a thick, slurred voice answered, “Took th’ words outta m’ mouth…”

Blinking, Hector scrabbled up onto his knees.

Silence shook her head, getting slowly to her feet. She was wincing, grimacing, favoring her broken arm. But her eyes no longer burned blue. They looked… bloodshot, filled with black veins, and slightly swollen. But otherwise her eyes were back to their usual gold.

“Hector,” Silence called out, voice cracking, “Stay back… I’ll take ‘er…”

“You think you can stop me?!” Carmilla shrieked, sounding hysterical as she leapt up. “You can barely stand, you pathetic wretch!”

“Don’t look much like a bowl’a peaches yerself…” Silence growled, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

He was shaking. He couldn’t move. He didn’t know what to do. Both of them were hurting. He got the feeling Silence was worse off between the two of them, though. And that was a truly terrifying thought. Because that meant Carmilla was closer to taking him back, closer to doing so much worse to him than leaving him with a handful of bruises and cuts.

Carmilla lunged forward, giving a savage yell, and Silence didn’t move. She just lifted her hand, pointing with her dagger.

Her right hand.

The gemstone rose glowed brightly, and the tiefling barked out, “ _ Sagitta magicae _ !”

Hector didn’t know if he would ever be able to accurately describe what happened in that next moment. It looked like three arrows, made of pure white light, ripped into Carmilla, making her scream as blood spurted from her injuries.

“ _ Presto _ !”

Hector threw his arms up, eyes squeezing shut. Another wave of heat engulfed him, and the light still pierced his eyes through the lids, leaving spots on his vision when he opened his eyes to see again.

“ _ Ignis clypeus _ !”

As he cleared his vision, he saw Carmilla, scorched and snarling, staggering to her feet. Silence, on the other hand, was now wrapped in wisps of flame that flickered and danced as if on the verge of going out. It looked like she was swaying where she stood, trying desperately to hold on. He prayed that she could.

Carmilla seemed to sense that Silence was weakening too, though, and lunged forward--

A burst of flame leapt up from Silence’s skin when Carmilla hit her, and the vampire screamed. The thin, delicate flames had roared, and Hector realized it was a protective spell of some kind. Buying time, defending and offending at the same time.

“Fine… I’ll just take him, then!” Carmilla screamed, whirling around with her eyes wild and fangs bared.

He gasped as she lunged towards him, but Silence was having none of that. She slammed herself against Carmilla, bodily and deliberately pressing as much of herself as she could against the vampire. Flames roared and snarled angrily, burning and eating.

Silence stood, kicked Carmilla, and staggered towards him.

Stopping halfway, she turned back towards Carmilla, raising both arms, crossing her daggers.

“Hector… don’t look… y’d go blind…”

He just barely heard her, turning away and clapping his hands over his eyes.

“Good boy…”

“Oh?! You’ve only managed to get me this far because of sheer luck! And now you think you can defend him and--

“ _ Radium. _ ”

Carmilla’s words turned to a scream that was quickly cut off.

For a moment, there was silence.

A soft thump sounded, prompting Hector to spin back around.

Silence was collapsed on the ground, daggers gripped only loosely. Her breathing was shallow, and he got the feeling she had over exerted herself, in addition to her injuries.

Carmilla was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a deep gouge ran through the earth, lined with glass and smeared with ash, racing away towards where the blue flames were slowly dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel that I should mention Silence got to a pretty damn high level before I was forced to leave the group. I acknowledge that in DnD, Carmilla would probably be a pretty damn high level too, but after some of the things Silence had to go toe-to-hoof with, I don't think an injured vampire woman would be too much of a challenge.  
> The spells used are Magic Missile, Silence's brand of Prestidigitation (again, something I fought tooth and nail for, but if fucking Pierre-- that's another story), Fire Shield, and Sunbeam.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the expected last chapter, I just have to get it to a point that I'm satisfied with before posting.

“So… let me get this straight…” Silence groaned as Hector carefully set her arm. “I passed out cold… so you… hijacked my familiar?”

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. After a moment, he settled for sheepishly tying the splint to her arm.

“... Hm. I don’t remember… just fell asleep and woke up hurtin’...” she muttered, eyes sliding closed. They were still bloodshot, but the puffiness had gone down considerably. The scratches on her face didn’t look like they would be bad enough to scar, relatively shallow. The worst thing was her arm, really. It was broken in two places, and Hector got the feeling that without a proper healer it would always be a little weaker from the injury.

“... I’m sorry…” he murmured.

“Not your fault. I shoulda known I was pushing too hard…” Silence answered, tail-tip flicking.

“... I… I’m sorry about  _ Amon’s Rebellion.  _ I… I looked for him, but I couldn’t… and after what happened… I think they killed him…” Hector apologized, looking away.

That made her snort, which then made her start growling in pain, face scrunched up.

“Ugh… y’can’t kill familiars, puppy… not really… just unsummons them for a while. Sends ‘em back to where they came from.” Silence informed him, moving to sit up.

“Silence, you’re injured! Just rest!” he objected, trying to put his hands on her shoulders and push her down. But even exhausted, over-exerted and injured, the tiefling was stronger than him, and just regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

Pushing him aside with her good arm, she lifted a hand to run it through her hair and over a horn.

“... You said… your forgemaster stuff only works on dead things, right? So I wonder how…”

He shrugged weakly, settling down to sit next to her. He’d done what he could for her injuries, found her pack and dragged them both to a shady spot under a large tree as the sun rose. The surrounding area was torched. To be honest, Hector was surprised no one had come to investigate what happened yet. Maybe they were far enough away from any towns or villages that no one had seen?

Silence stared off into the distance, face thoughtful. Hector watched her from the corner of his eye. With her eyes bloodshot the way they were, he could tell where she was looking. Not like before, when her eyes were pure gold and she could have been examining his shoes for all he knew.

She seemed to notice him staring, because she reached over to push at his face, turning his head away.

“Go in my pack. See how much we’ve got in way of provisions.” she instructed. Her voice sounded less hoarse. Closer to it’s usual rough silk.

“... We…?”

Her head turned, horns clacking against the tree. “You think I’m just going to throw you to the wolves now that your dear mistress is gone, puppy?”

“I… a little.”

She scoffed, and for the first time he saw that she rolled her eyes. He wondered how often she did that, and none of them ever knew.

“I told you, Hector. I’m not a monster. You’re in a bad situation, even with that bitch dead.”

“... I can’t pay you, though.” he replied softly.

Silence shrugged, looking away as she propped her chin up on her good hand. “I’ve gone without pay before. Not everyone is grateful their savior is a tiefling. At least I know you won’t stone me out of town.”

Hector stayed quiet, reaching out to grab her bag as he mulled her words over.

To be honest, he was still scared. Yes, Silence had protected him. By some miracle, she’d even killed Carmilla. Which was… terrifying, when he thought about it. Carmilla didn’t seem like the type to get killed.

After a moment, he decided to admit, “I’m scared you’ll turn on me.”

Silence didn’t answer, and his grip on her pack tightened. “Carmilla was strong. Powerful. She wasn’t someone that just anyone could kill. Seeing you do it, even though you were incapacitated and on the verge of passing out…”

“... I’ve fought bigger, puppy. I’ve gone into the lairs of liches to destroy their relics and end their immortal rules. I’ve had to face off against packs of feral monsters. I’ve had to fight my whole life. Slapping an insane woman off her high horse is just another day on the job. She was far from her best. Not in her right mind, and injured from my sneak-attack before. If she’d been in top form, there’s a chance I’d be a little closer to death than I am now. If I’d had to deal with her soldiers, there’s a chance I might not have made it out in one piece. But I’ve had to fight bigger. I’ve had to fight scarier.”

That wasn’t exactly comforting, but… it gave rise to another question.

“... Silence?” Hector asked uncertainly, pulling her book out of the pack. She grunted. “If you could have done that… if you would have performed better uninjured… why did you wait so long?”

He gasped in shock when her hand grabbed him, dragged him close. She pulled him to her side, pressing him against her torso and pushing his head into the crook of her neck. Her skin was hot, but rather than feeling uncomfortable, it was grounding.

“... I’m not a killer.” she said at length, making him look up at her. She was staring off into the distance, as if still deep in thought. “I don’t enjoy fighting, or take delight in ending lives. I do it if I have to. If I have to destroy a lich’s relic, I will. If I have to burn an entire nest of kobolds, I will. If I have to drive a flaming spear into an orc’s skull, I will. If I have to kill to survive, to protect others, I will. But if there’s another way out, I’ll take it. If I can reason with the lich, then I’ll negotiate with it. If I can get away from the kobolds, out of their territory, I’ll run like hell. If the orc and I can settle our differences over a pint, I’ll buy. But nobody likes tieflings. I’ve had no choice but to fight. I’ve been taught that everyone hates me just because of what I look like. It doesn’t matter that I am more or less human. Everyone-- humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, gnomes, it doesn’t matter. They all hate me. So I’ll do their dirty work, I’ll take their spat-on money. I’ll take it and leave, find someplace where I don’t have to look at them in turn.”

Hector was quiet, allowing himself to relax against her heat. It was dulling away a few aches he hadn’t known he really had. “... But then why didn’t you make them…”

“Make them respect me? Use my magic and show them their places?”

… that exactly. He wasn’t surprised she knew what he’d been intending to say. She’d probably already been over that with other people. Told them the same things she was telling him now. But he wondered how many of them had actually listened to her.

“Silly question, I suppose.” he mumbled, turning to look at the burn-scars on the landscape.

“Kinda, puppy.”

For a while, they just sat, staring into the distance. It was a nice enough day out. The chill of spring was starting to fade away into summer. The sky was relatively clear, except for the wisps of grey rising from spots of heat left in the darkened ground.

“... I won’t just ditch you,” Silence said suddenly, drawing his attention back to her, “I’ll help you find someplace where you can stay. But I won’t be able to hang around anywhere for very long. Thaumaturgy doesn’t hide everything. I’ll get you settled down and move on.”

“... Where will you go?” Hector asked, pulling away from her heat to look at her.

She gave an idle, one-armed shrug. “Who knows. I’m sure there’s somewhere in the world where I can hide myself away.”

“... A place where no one bothers you… silence and solitude…?”

“Something like that.”

Hector opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Silence sighed in annoyance, declaring, “Out with it.”

“I may know a place like that…”

 


	15. Chapter 15

Hector looked around.

The town was empty. Houses were abandoned and in disrepair. There weren’t many bodies about, but after so long he would have thought people would start repopulating, moving back after fleeing Dracula’s horde.

It had taken a while to find their way back here. They’d gotten lost at least once, but at long last he and Silence were trekking though the town he’d lived near before joining Dracula.

“While I can appreciate the current state, bloodstained wood and all, I get the feeling it won’t last. So I hope you aren’t slowing down because you’re expecting me to live in the well in the town-square.” Silence commented, drawing him out of his reverie.

“No… no, nothing like that. It’s just… different without the people. And it’s been a while since… since the war started and… and ended, I guess. I would have thought people would have started moving back.” he answered, picking up the pace.

“... Different, huh.” Silence muttered. By this point, Hector had traveled with her long enough to learn when not to reply to her words. In some ways, she reminded him of Isaac, curt and to the point, but she wasn’t as… cold and unfeeling. Quite the contrary, actually. Silence did a great deal of feeling. And she could be plenty hot-headed when she wanted. Even if she described herself as cold.

As they left the town, he informed her, “Not too much farther now. There should be a split off from the road, heading into the trees. But it… might have grown over by this point. It has been a little over a year.”

She nodded silently, clopping after him.

“It might not be in the best condition… to be honest, I don’t know if it’s even still standing…”

“Puppy,” Silence said in a firm voice, hand clamping down on his shoulder, “Whatever you’re trying to show me, I’m positive you’re overthinking it.”

“... Right.”

The path wasn’t overgrown, thankfully. It would have been embarrassing to have to backtrack after passing it. There certainly was grass springing up, along with a few weeds of various kinds, but it still existed enough that he was able to spot it right off the bat. Looking over his shoulder, Hector saw that Silence was looking more intrigued, head tipped to the side and tail wrapping around one of her ankles.

Pushing though a few of the bolder bushes and branches, picking over fallen trees and newly exposed roots, they kept going for a while.

But at long last, they were there.

“Now that,” Silence said, standing next to him with one hand on her hip, “Is called a fixer-upper.”

“I… I told you it might not be in the best condition…” Hector defended, picking his way over to his old home. The one Dracula had taken him from.

It wasn’t a bad place, really. When he had lived here, the people had kept their distance and left him alone. They hadn’t been… friendly, but they hadn’t been unkind. It was distant enough from everyone that he had been able to live peacefully, without being bothered, but close enough that if there had been anything he desperately needed and couldn’t procure himself, he could get it with minimal hassle.

“And I didn’t say it would be.” Silence answered. “Looks like the roof caved in a bit. The door’s off the hinges. Window got smashed in.”

“It’s always been broken.” Hector defended, unable to help the slight blush on his face.

“Tell me you at least boarded it up while you lived here.”

“... In the winter, yes. It got too hot in summer months, so it was easier to nail a cloth up to keep the rain and bugs out but let the air in.”

Silence gave a conceding dip of the head. “So what was your plan in taking me here, puppy?”

Ducking his head to hide how his blush was deepening, Hector answered, “Because… it’s very quiet… and when I lived here, no one bothered me… but it’s close enough to town that if I needed anything, I could walk there and back in a day…”

“It’s your home, Hector, not mine. I’m glad you have a place to stay, but color me clueless because I’m missing your point.”

“I’m asking if you’d like to stay here with me!” he burst out.

Silence leaned over, carefully poking her face under his. He got the feeling she did it for the sole purpose of slowly blinking up at him.

“You… you saved me from Carmilla… more than that, you killed her. And… it would be wrong to not repay you--”

“I told you, Hector, I’m used to going unpaid.”

“Let me finish!” he burst out impatiently, grabbing at her arm when she tried to turn away. “I was going to say that you wouldn’t need to hide here! You could be yourself! And… and if you changed your mind about it when people started coming back to the town, you could leave, but… you wouldn’t have to. I… I don’t mind you. I know I’m not… not exactly ‘silence and solitude,’ but…”

Something whapped against his leg. He startled for a moment before realizing it was Silence’s tail.

“Are you sure?” Silence asked him, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her.

“Yes.”

“Because I’m not exactly the most desireable housemate. And if people find out I’m living with you, they may try to kill you.” she said seriously.

“Nothing I haven’t experienced before.” Hector retorted, reaching up to begin prying her hand from his face.

“I’m going to be insufferable.”

“If you don’t want to, just say no!”

Silence stared at him a while longer before sighing and shaking her head. She let him go, and he stumbled back a step or two, unbalanced thanks to her pulling on him.

“I’ve gone and become a dog-person. Great.” the tiefling muttered, turning to look at the house. “First things first, that roof probably needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt.”

It took a moment for what she was saying to sink in.

He couldn’t help but smile, huffing a little as he followed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.  
> So I did not write this intending to introduce other characters or have a sequel. Depending on my muse and if I can finish all my other stuff, maybe I'll make a series out of this. *shrug*  
> Hope ya enjoyed!


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